Luka’s Corner

Especially in the Eastern Conference, there has been so much talk about securing the #1 or #2 seed to secure home court advantage throughout the Playoffs. This home court advantage has made the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a league-best 62-15 record, and the Los Angeles Lakers, with a best-in-the-West record of 60-16, the favorites in this postseason in the eyes of some. In the eyes of most analysts, Cleveland seems to have basically punched their ticket to the Finals due to their league-best 37-1 record in the Quicken Loans Arena. The point that I’m trying to make is that home court will not play as big a role in the Playoffs as most people think.

Because the Boston Celtics struggled on the road in The Playoffs last time around (forgetting that they won two big games in Detroit and LA), playing at home has taken on a much greater significance this year. It is important to note, however, that the Celtics improved tremendously on the road after losing their first home game at the hands of Detroit in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Receiving a much-needed wake-up call, Boston went on to beat Detroit handily in Game 3 (94-80) and came back in Game 4 of the Finals to beat the Lakers, 97-91. It is evident through these two victories that once Boston had to get wins on the road, they did. And, can you honestly say that the Boston Celtics, with a combined road record of 57-23 over the past two seasons, will repeat their poor road play this year as well? They will obviously learn from their mistakes and play with a renewed sense of urgency in other arenas this year, as will the other Playoff teams.

So, it is my opinion that home court advantage will not be as important in these Playoffs as it was in 07-08. Sure, teams will play better at home and there will still be more home wins than road wins overall in the Playoffs, but do not underestimate the pressure it puts on home teams to defend their home court. As soon as the home team steps out on to the floor, the players’ fire and energy will die down and the road team will be able to play loosely. This is what I see happening in a Boston-Cleveland series played predominantly in Cleveland or with Los Angeles against either the San Antonio Spurs or New Orleans Hornets. It is simply not smart to declare favorites based on them having the overall best record or playing their games mostly at home.

As the Celtics near the Playoffs, they are focusing more on getting their depleted roster healthy by the time the postseason tips off than they are on gaining the second, or first, seed in the East. At a 56-19 record as of Tuesday, the C’s have surely had a down year in comparison to last year’s resounding mark of 66-16, but much of the second half of the season has been played without Kevin Garnett. Even Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine, and Tony Allen have missed considerable amounts of time. This variety of injuries to key role players has opened the door for Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore, who arrived in February. In my opinion, all of the team’s previous bench woes in terms of scoring and defense have been solved with the arrival of these two. Of course, I am relying on the return of those who have been injured by the Playoffs.

Focusing more on "Starbury", who was the key addition during the season, the Celtics received an explosive guard who can handle the ball in pressure situations, pass the ball with ease, drive to the basket, and rely on his outside jumper. Obviously, some may ask how a guy 3.2 PPG and 2 APG, while only shooting 31% from the floor, can help the Celtics raise an 18th championship banner at the TD Banknorth Garden. This low shooting percentage and scoring output is all due to Marbury’s lack of game experience over the past year. His quickness is there, which he uses to break down the defense and distribute the ball, and his dribbling is extremely reliable. He can obviously shoot the three, evident by his smooth shooting stroke this season and 33% over his career. It is only a matter of playing more and getting into the actual game rhythm.

So far, Marbury’s greatest asset to the team has been his ability to ward off pressure from opposing point guards and distribute the ball to the Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. It is important to note that Eddie House has had a much easier time with Marbury alongside him. Now, he can spot up behind the three-point line without having to worry about bringing the ball up the court, something that he has struggled with over the past two seasons. The decreased pressure on House to perform is shown by his 43.5% from three this season (and nearly 50% over the second half of the year, when Marbury was with the team). Watching Marbury move the ball, it is interesting to see that he hits Allen in his sweet spots better than Rondo does with the starters. While Rondo relies on getting the ball to Pierce and KG more than finding Allen off screens, Marbury looks for Allen on every possession. This is understandable because Allen has been the most consistent Celtic this season.

Overall, with the two new additions to the already solid Boston bench, I truly believe that the Boston bench is up there with Cleveland’s bench, if not better (the Laker bench has been inconsistent all year). Marbury gives Boston a true backup point guard, Moore gives hustle and length, Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Leon Powe give scoring and rebounding, Tony Allen gives another slasher to the basket, and Brian Scalabrine gives solid defense and outside shooting. The C’s now have so many options and, if KG comes back healthy, you have to say that Boston is once again the favorite to win it all.